Chris Sutton accuses West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca of letting down manager David Moyes despite goalscoring return
Chris Sutton has accused Gianluca Scamacca of letting down West Ham manager David Moyes, despite a goalscoring return for the striker.
Suton’s comments come after the Italian scored once and assisted another in West Ham’s Europa Conference League victory over AEK Larnaca on Thursday (16 March).
Scamacca returned to the starting XI in the round of 16 second leg following time out with a knee injury, scoring the opener and assisting one of Jarrod Bowen’s two goals in the 4-0 win.
Speaking live on BT Sport on Thursday (16 March), Sutton said: “I’m not so sure his heart is in it, that’s the truth. Three Premier League goals this season, I think he has let David Moyes down in a way. I think that David Moyes would have expected far more from the Italian centre-forward.
“I think that he’s a very talented player, but I’m not sure he’s totally committed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him clear off back to Italy in the summer.”
Time to step up
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Scamacca has certainly not taken to English football as many at West Ham had expected or indeed hoped, with the striker scoring just eight goals from his 27 appearances in all competitions this season.
His reported £30.5million move from Serie A side Sassuolo offered fans of the club a sign of their ambition going forward, but the poor return rate has disappointed their previously upbeat thoughts.
Despite only moving to the east London club last summer, the striker has already been linked with a move away from West Ham, with a return to Italy seemingly his most favoured option.
After shaking off a knee injury to get back among the goals, it seems that Scamacca now has the option to either wallow in self-pity or really push to land a regular starting role under Moyes.
The Hammers are in desperate need of goals as they fight for their Premier League safety, and Scamacca would ensure cult status at the club should he be the man to fire them away from relegation.